Integrated Thermal-Electrical Co-Simulation for High-Speed Traces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit trace modeling methods in information handling systems face challenges in balancing thermal and electrical characteristics due to increasing thermal budgets, leading to poor signal quality and increased design time and cost, especially with high-speed data interfaces.
Innovation Solution
Modeling circuit traces using an integrated thermal-electrical co-simulation approach that determines an average temperature for the entire trace length, reducing the need for multiple section modeling and optimizing design efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If detailed section modeling is used for circuit traces, then signal quality accuracy is improved, but design time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit trace is divided into multiple sections along its length, with each section assigned a representative temperature value. This segmentation allows the system to capture thermal variations along the trace while maintaining computational efficiency. The trace is divided into manageable segments that can be processed individually through co-simulation, balancing accuracy requirements with design time constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation from continuous temperature distribution to discrete representative temperature values for each trace section. By using average or representative temperatures for each segment rather than modeling every point continuously, the system achieves acceptable signal quality accuracy while dramatically reducing the computational complexity and design time required for the simulation.
2Device complexity
If thermal and electrical characteristics are modeled separately, then computational complexity is reduced, but signal quality accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges thermal and electrical field simulations into an integrated co-simulation framework. The thermal simulator and electrical field simulator operate together, with thermal data from the thermal simulation directly informing the electrical signal integrity analysis. This integration ensures that temperature-dependent electrical properties are accurately captured, maintaining signal quality accuracy while the segmented approach keeps computational complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal data as an intermediary between the thermal simulator and electrical field simulator. The thermal simulation results provide temperature distributions that serve as input parameters for the electrical signal integrity analysis. This intermediary thermal data layer enables accurate coupling of thermal and electrical effects without requiring direct complex interaction between all thermal and electrical parameters, thus maintaining accuracy while controlling computational complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple trace sections are modeled individually, then signal quality accuracy is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trace is segmented into multiple sections with representative temperature values, enabling accurate signal quality prediction without requiring equally detailed physical manufacturing specifications for each section. This segmentation approach allows standard manufacturing processes to be used while achieving accurate through-simulation, thereby maintaining signal quality accuracy without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity or cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter aggregation where multiple physical sections are represented by averaged or representative temperature values rather than requiring individual precise control of each section. This parameter simplification allows standard manufacturing tolerances to be applied across the trace while the simulation captures the essential thermal-electrical interactions, maintaining accuracy without increasing manufacturing cost.
Data Source
AI summary
An information handling system includes a memory device and a processor. The memory device includes first data representing a thermal profile of a motherboard, and second data representing a circuit trace of the motherboard. The circuit trace provides a high-speed data interconnection between two or more circuit devices. The processor determines an average temperature of the circuit trace on the motherboard based upon the first data and the second data, and models a trace layout for the circuit trace on the motherboard based upon the average temperature.